23:15 So basically the reason Wukong joined Tang Monk and Zhu Baije on the journey to the west was because they put an iron circlet on his head, which would shrink and crush his skull whenever he misbehaved. The idea was that if he helped Tang Monk retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West the gods would forgive him and remove the circlet, but they never did even after he earned the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha, so he had to come up with a new plan. His rebellion and fight against Erlang Shen at the beginning of the game was a scheme to trick the Celestial Court into thinking he was dead (And also to satisfy their bloodlust so they would leave the monkeys of Mount Huaguo alone), but he knew he would be reincarnated one day into the Chosen One, who would not have the iron circlet on him and would thus be free, which is ultimately all Wukong wants, to be free. Also, you didn't see it because you got the secret ending, but if you don't fight Erlang Shen before the final boss, the old monkey puts the circlet on your head, essentially ruining Wukong's plan and making you a slave to the Celestial Court. The old monkey is the villain, not Wukong.
nah he became Tang monk's disciple because that was the only way out of his prison which was the mountain he was sealed under for 500 years, and this was all plotted by Buddha ahead of time since Tang monk is the reincarnation of zhenchanzi who is the first disciple under buddha(the dude chatting with the turtle monster yellow brow turned into end of chapter4). After they started on the journey wukong constantly got annoyed at Tang monk and was unwilling to obey so guanyin was the one that gave the band to Tang monk and taught him the chant to activate the band and tricked wukong into putting it on his head
I’m pretty certain the old monkey isn’t the villain as he is the mind of Wukong. I believe the point of the bad ending is that he just replaces the final boss we fight, as he is incomplete and as a result not the real Destined One. Therefore, he becomes the Stone Monkey and waits for the true Destined One to face him.
59:52 the fact that Afro asked whos that to ERLANG SHEN THE GUY HE SPENT HOURS TO BEAT is the most dissapointing kind of cutscene confusion. Bro is the only 3 eyed dude youve fought this whole game
I watched this entire series of Afro and I can say that it's either Afro is intentionally doing this for clout, or Afro is the most dumbest person I've ever seen in my life.
I teared up watching the final fight. Probably sounds cringe to you, but I'm a Vietnamese boy growing up watch Journey to the west on TV each day of my summer vacation (every year during the summer they would re-air the show). The music in the last fight was from the original show, and as it played, nostalgia hit me like never before. My grandma who always watched the show with me passed away, and the music made me miss her so much. Especially now that I'm just started studying abroad in Canada, leaving alone, writing the first chapter of my own journey to the west 😢 Sorry for the long comment I just really appreciate the video, keep it up!
The final animated cutscene also uses the original Journey to the West music as well. Im sure he edited that out to avoid copyright issues, but definitely worth watching the cutscene with the original audio if you want that nostalgia.
I can't fuckin believe he didn't get hit by the heal animation from wukong. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. All the homies hate ring of fire, that move single handedly stole our chance to see afro get disrespected when healing.
Er Lang and Wu Kong plotted his death together as Er Lang keeping Wu Kong’s memories as the final relic for the worthy one. Deep down Wu Kong knows there is no way to be free even he became god but only death. They announced DLCs so I guess it will be the conclude story of the 4th sister that been captured and the fight with heaven (hope Nezha is properly introduce tho).
@@sesshomarutomioka9220 They confirmed an expansion and a new IP in development. Sadly they provided no more detail than that, only that BMW originally have 13 chapters but was cut. And we haven’t see some bosses and the battle with Celestial army in the trailer yet.
Some people probably mentioned it already, but that last cutscene was some of the biggest beats of Wukong's story told in reverse order: He first becomes his namesake (Monkey King), defies the Celestial Court, including Erlang (the secret boss in this chapter and his biggest rival), pees on Buddah's middle finger, thinking it was a pillar he needed to leave a mark on, and therefore gets imprisoned inside the Five Finger Mountain A few centuries later, he's freed by his from then on master, Tan Sanzang, and takes on the Journey to the West, granting him redemption through Buddahood The original story ends there, but this game adds that he gets betrayed by the Celestial Court for trying to be free on his island, after he realizes that the crown he wore during the Journey never left his head. This celestial item was able to, very much like Wukong's staff, change its size; his master used to punish him by shrinking it whenever he became unruly, causing tremendous pain The point of the game's story, it seems, is to gain the relics (his senses), alongside Wukong's memories, in order for him to reincarnate through the Chosen One, but without the symbol of his imprisonment, making him free from the gods' influence
@@Rebel4k69Although yes this is true, through the secret ending and defeating Erlang. In the true ending you gain the memories of wukong and fully reincarnate. Stopping the cycle and once again become free of the band.
@@Rebel4k69 Actually in the ending we just saw ( the true ending ) the old monkey doesn’t put the band on his head. It’s also confirmed in lore that in this ending he doesn’t.
@Rebel4k69 not in the ending afro got he got the good ending Just before the monkey puts the headband on he gained his memory that's why it didn't show him putting on the headband in the bad ending you don't get his memory you get tricked into putting it on and then get memories making monkey king trapped once more
What I love about the Erlang fight is not only the fact that he was the most satisfying boss to beat on account of being imo the hardest boss in the game, but also the clash of ideals in which Wukong vs Erlang represents. Erlang throughout the entirety of BMW is the only character that we are repeatedly reminded of being someone that can rival Wukong in terms of power. This works in perfect juxtaposition with the narrative dynamic between the two. At the beginning of the game, Wukong is stated to be “a hero who treasures his freedom above all else”. Erlang Shen is one of heavens fiercest combatants, if not the fiercest combatant already. He is someone who represents absolute justice, and as heavens warrior, he carries out their justice without hesitation. While we see it as Wukong vs Erlang, what the writers are really trying to portray are the clash of concepts of complete freedom vs unwavering justice, control, and order. Afro even says in the last video, “he’s talking like he misses Wukong”. I find this to be true in a lot of ways, in that, while Erlang was heaven’s tool to carry out justice, he recognized the internal struggle he shared with Wukong and is willing to accept whatever came of their duel. Now that the Destined One is taking the old Wukong’s place as the great sage, Erlang has the opportunity to find closure in this fight (think when he says,”is our fight here all apart of his plan?”). Old Wukong’s sense of idealistic freedom is then beautifully woven into the Destined One’s narrative in the cutscene upon defeating Erlang where he says “watch me rip this headband off and break free”. Upon Erlang’s defeat, the Destined One replaces the old Wukong as the new Great Sage Sun Wukong, having officially freed himself (and old Wukong) from heavens control, both figuratively and literally.
Completely wild part here, Wukong deliberately let himself be killed because he figured out the only way to be rid of that headband was to rebuild his body and soul both from the ground up. In this ending, because you retrieved the real Mind relic from Erlang Shen, it works. You just got all of Sun Wukong's memories back and rejected the headband, The Destined One has truly become The Monkey King Returned.
Bro, it's the fact that Afro went through the entire fight against Wukong without: 1.) Activating the Wukong Stance by using the spear ( as soon as you unlock Wukong's staff in the story, you get to play around in Wukong Stance ) 2.) Afro didn't witness the greatest disrespect in the entire game of getting his Drink snatched away from him Other than that, watching Afro finally play this game has been an awesome experience Edit: MOOOOOM. MOM I MADE IT. I GOT OVER 6 LIKES IN MY COMMENT ON AN AFRO SENJU VIDEOOOOO. *MOOOOOOOM.* Second edit: It has now come to my attention that I have received two complaints from random strangers online about the " Mom " comment right above this one. I apologize for the inconvenience, and the higher-ups have a message to share: " I do not care. Look. This comment is gonna be forgotten in most likely 1 month's time for all of Y'all. Or maybe not at all if one of Y'all decide to watch the playthrough again at a later future. But relaaaax. It's just a small comment. Cringe as Y'all may see it, it will be nothing but a forgotten memory in Y'all heads. The Momma comment won't hurt you. Promise. Go about your day. There's other things to enjoy in life don't worry. Y'all have a good one "
I love that animation. The fact they animated the destined one to move as if the gourd was snatched out of his hand before he catches is great to me. And shows the devs compassion that went into the game because that's such a small detail
If you used the Jingubang instead of the tri point double edged spear you would've been able to use the Wukong stance and do similar moves to what the final boss uses
@@ShhImANightmare in every game chapter 6 gives you access to the wukong stance if you have the full set on, getting 3 true endings just lets you use it outside chapter 6
Fighting the Four Heavenly Kings and biggified Erlang really makes you FEEL like Wu Kong, like you're unlocking and using a comparable level of power. It's so cool
You've worked Afro. It's definitely been a journey, and the tech/copyright issues towards the end wasn't able to keep you down. You've overcome the hardest boss in the game, and I'm not talking about Erlang. Thank you for everything and looking forward to other playthroughs!
White hair guy is Erlang, but with different hair color. You can tell that it is him from his third eye and from the same voice actor, Erlang is the only character with three eyes in Journey to the West. The young black hair boy beside him is Nezha, he will be in the DLC. Erlang and Nezha are considered to be some of the strongest in the Celestial Court. A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE STORY BELOW (including Journey to the West): 1. Wukong wreaked havoc of the Celestial Court in his younger and more rebellious years (because he felt insulted by the Celestial Court), he self proclaimed to be the Great Sage and the Wreaker of Heaven. As a result, he was sealed by a Buddha (Tathagata) under a mountain for 500 years and got a golden restriction band placed on his head at the same time (Buddha can tighten the restriction band with a spell, that's the cause of Wukong's headache in the opening cutscene). In order to atone for his sin, Wukong was tasked to escort Jinchanzi's (Buddha's second student, Yellowbrow's peer, the same monk in Yellowbrow's cutscene) reincarnation, Tang Monk (anytime the game mention the "Monk" it is usually referred to him), on a journey to the west to visit Tathagata Buddha in Mount Lingshan and bring back scripture(s) of enlightenment, which was said to be able to bring wisdom to human kind. At the end of the Journey, all members of the party were granted some level of Buddhahood. Wukong was granted the position of Victorious Fighting Buddha and the restriction band was supposed to be removed at the same time. 2. In this cutscene, Erlang told Wukong that even though you can't see it, but the restriction band was never removed, how could you rebel against the heaven with a restriction band on your head. Wukong told Erlang he is going to remove the band. The plan is very simple, Wukong will kill himself and he will be reincarnated as a different monkey without the band. (That's why Erlang told the player at the beginning of the fight, "I can't kill that Monkey, nobody can, only he can kill himself (considering that Wukong is immortal)) SPOILERS AHEAD: 3.If you go straight for the final boss, Wukong's broken remains, without visiting Erlang first, at the end of the fight with Wukong's remains, the old monkey will pick up the golden restriction band that had fallen off from Wukong's broken remains and place it on the Destined One's head, trapping the Destined One inside the stone and resulting in a bad ending. On the next playthrough, the player will find out that they did not unlock the last (6th) relic, meaning that the player failed to free Wukong in the previous playthrough and this is the next cycle with a new Destined One. If you fought Erlang and got Wukong's memories before fighting Wukong's broken remains, the Destined One will be able to wake up before the old money places the restriction band on the Destined One's head. On the next playthrough, the Player will find out that they have unlocked the last (6th) relic. This means Wukong and the Destined One are merged together, and the Destined One lives on as the new Wukong. SPECTULATIONS: 4. Old Monkey: because only gods and buddhas wear those floating ribbons, it is implied that the old monkey works for the heaven. Recall the old monkey's words before the last battle "(Wukong is) as untamed and ungrateful as that yellow rat. Beasts are beasts, don't you think?" The old monkey also said a lot of untrue things about Wukong prior to the last fight (including that the Player only has to collect 5 relics and visit him to get the last one. This is false, it would result in the bad ending), potentially with the intention of belittling what Wukong was trying to do and swaying the Destined One to follow destiny (weaved by heaven, i.e. follow the heaven's dictated path). 5. Wukong left Celestial Court: it is sprinkled within various texts in the game, implying that in order to advance, some Yaoguais eat humans, and some gods and buddhas would turn Yaoguais into pills and eat those pills. There are certain map zones in the game where gods' henchmen could systematically turn Yaoguais into pills and offer them to the gods. Wukong found out about this secret and that's why he left the Court, and also why Celestia deemed that he has to be killed. At the end of this cutscene where Wukong turns around and walks towards the waterfall, it is speculated by the Chinese community that he wasn't heading to the beginning of the game to fight Erlang and the Celestial Court in the opening scene. This is set at the end of the game and the resurrected/merged Wukong is heading to the DLC to rebel against the Court for the third time. 6. Erlang: in the lore, Erlang actually rebelled against Celestia a few hundred years before Wukong, because he couldn't bear witness to human's suffering. He stopped midway because he realized that even if he could overturn the Celestial Court, there will be no entity to maintain order of the new world thereafter (i.e. maintain balance between human, yaoguai and gods, and maintain how the system of the world operates), it will result in a total chaos (like the wild jungle) and make the world an unsafe/worst place for everyone (basically having a bad system is still better than having no system at all). He is also the Jade Emperor's nephew so they want to go easy on him, the Court offered him a position translated to God of Justice, basically enforcer of heavenly rules, a high prosecutor. The first 2 times Wukong rebelled against the heaven, he did it for no good reason and was basically throwing a fit just because he could (brat with too much power). This time Wukong plans to rebel against the heaven, it looks like Erlang wants to join in on the cause, I wonder what changed. 7. Future DLCs: Black Myth Wukong was planned for 12-13 chapters, but because of funding and timing issues they released the first 6 chapters first. The rest are planned to be divided into 2 DLCs, one of which is set at the Celestial Court, is it speculated by the Chinese Community that this is the third rebellion against Celestial Court, and will be featuring Nezha and Erlang.
something ain’t right…. last vid he was getting cooked, now he just 1 life both the final bosses?! No suffering, no crash outs? where he go on that trip?! 😂
The guy in the ending cinematic that you were wondering who they were, it was literally Erlang Shen, the guy you beat before the final boss, you literally have his weapon and he was wielding it in the cinematic xD The other person was Nezha, and yes, the game still has a bunch of potential for a DLC, including confronting Nezha and the Court, and finally break free of the Golden Fillet Headband bestowed upon him by the Overlords of the Buddha realm. Wukong is known as "The personification of the Mind", one of the most revered Buddhist beliefs, the mind is the first to come, and the last to go, conquer the mind, you conquer all that comes after and before. Wukong got his headband to mitigate the use of his power after he murdered a group of thieves that stole from his master Tripitaka, the Tang Monk that wrote the scriptures during the journy to the west, where he was beset upon by all manner of trials from both mortals, and gods, Wukong was also imprisoned for centuries and was subjected to horrible tortures, including staying inside a biiiig pot that burned hotter than the sun, but he had multiple layers of immortality and wouldnt die, so you can imagine the pain he endured. You should read the books, they are great.
I fought Wukong like 10 times cause I was in awe with all the 4th wall shit he was doing to me. Dude immobilized me and took my flask. Shit was crazy. 😂😂
IF YOU ARE CONFUSED: In the secret ending it is revealed that Erlang (the first guy you fight at the start of the game) actually conspired with Wukong to kill him, as it's the only way to help him get rid of his enchanted headband. As long as the headband is on his head, he can never truly disobey the heavenly court. Erlang also sealed Wukong's memories in his third eye, so after the secret boss fight those memories are released and given to the protagonist. In the bad ending, the protagonist never reclaims Wukong's memories so he ends up accepting the headband, trapping him again to the will of the court. In the good ending, just before accepting the headbind, you get a closeup of the protagonist's eyes as he started reliving Wukong's journey, played in reverse culminating in his very first battle against the court. In this ending he possibly came to his senses and would not accept the headband. And yeah, the old monkey may be an agent of the court, as he put the protagonist on this journey to reunite Wukong's essence, but without his memories, creating a Wukong that would bend his knees to the court.
Here is a summary for what happened: In the final chapter, the Destined One returns to Mount Huaguo and encounters Celestial soldiers trying to suppress him. This situation raises questions because the Destined One is supposed to be carrying out the Celestial Court's orders. To understand this, we must delve into the underlying conflict between the Celestial Court and the Buddhist realm. Throughout the story, conflicts between Buddhism and Taoism are evident, especially in the Yellow Wind Ridge, New West, Webbed Hollow, and Flame Mountain sections. The Celestial Court and Buddhist realm have differing political aims: the Celestial Court prioritizes order and requires beings either to join the system or face destruction. In contrast, the Buddhist realm focuses on converting beings into believers. This tension stems from the Celestial Court feeling threatened by the Buddhist realm's growing influence, particularly after the Journey to the West, where many beings, including Sun Wukong, were converted to Buddhism. The Celestial Court saw this as the Buddhist realm gaining an unfair advantage. Therefore, the Celestial Court plotted to use the Destined One to weaken the Buddhist realm's power, leading to Sun Wukong's demise. Erlang Shen (Yang Jian) offers crucial insight into Sun Wukong's death. Despite appearing as Wukong's killer, he suggests that Sun Wukong's death was a form of suicide, a way to free himself from the golden hoop (tight-fillet spell) representing secular control and forcing him onto the Buddhist path. Wukong wanted to break free from this control, and his death was a means to achieve that liberation. The "Great Sage's Remnant Body" portrait offers a complex view of Sun Wukong's character. It suggests that during his time as the Monkey King, he was mischievous but not excessively cruel. His true ruthlessness emerged after becoming Sun Wukong the Pilgrim, engaging in theft, kidnapping, murder, and arson. This transformation is linked to his conversion to Buddhism, suggesting that adopting a master and gaining a direction released his inner ferocity. The golden hoop spell, which controlled him during his journey, symbolizes this restraint and forced alignment with Buddhist teachings. Even after its apparent disappearance post-Journey to the West, Wukong needed to prove whether this control still existed, leading to his eventual plan of suicide and rebirth. The game's depiction of celestial beings and Buddhas as outwardly pure but inwardly corrupt is reinforced by examples like the Venerable Lord Lao's exploitation of Yaoguais for pill refinement and Lingji Bodhisattva's oppression. This reflects how the pursuit of immortality and power involves consuming "Will," sourced from nature, faith, or living beings. Celestial and Buddhist entities like the Queen Mother and Spirit Mountain engage in activities like peach production, faith accumulation, and life exploitation to harvest this essence. Wukong's distrust of celestial equipment, including his golden armor, symbolizes his awareness of the celestial manipulation and his intent to rebel. He prepared his old equipment as a sign of rejecting the control imposed by the heavens. The celestial court and Buddhist realm's monitoring of his actions indicated their awareness of his revolutionary intentions. The armor and hoop thus represent the larger theme of celestial and Buddhist control and Wukong's struggle against it. The golden hoop and Wukong's golden armor symbolize the control of the old order over him. To lead a revolution, Wukong must reject these restraints, giving up the security they provide and severing ties with his past self. This process is part of his journey from a rogue figure to a revolutionary leader. Chapter 5 of the game illustrates Wukong’s evolution from being complicit with the old order to sacrificing himself for freedom. Wukong's ruthless methods and transformation reflect the influence of desires, idols, and ulterior motives. His shift from the Monkey King to Sun Wukong the Pilgrim parallels the possible transformations of celestial beings and Buddhas, who also underwent changes driven by their desires. In Chapter 4, a mural suggests that the tribulations of the original Journey to the West were preordained by higher powers, indicating the control the celestial order exerted. Yet Wukong often defied these scripts, such as seeking help from the Celestial Court against the expected intervention by a Bodhisattva. This defiance highlights his inherent rebellious nature. Yang Jian's comment in the game emphasizes that Wukong is the one who defies destiny the most. Wukong’s rebellion aims to challenge the gods and Buddhas' exploitation of the lower realms for their immortality, as described by Zhu Bajie in a portrait. To effectively rebel, Wukong needs to remove the golden hoop's control to gain personal freedom and maintain his battle power. This is a crucial step toward his goal of achieving equality between humans and gods. In Journey to the West, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was originally a rebellious figure, but after being subdued under the Five-Finger Mountain, he was forced to wear the golden hoop and act under Spirit Mountain's control. Throughout the journey, his actions aligned with Spirit Mountain's agenda. Upon reaching Spirit Mountain, Wukong hoped to remove the hoop, but they reneged on their promise. This disillusionment led Wukong to wish for a peaceful life, but this desire conflicted with the Celestial Court's interests, sealing his fate. Wukong's death led to the distribution of his six senses by Erlang Shen among various Yaoguai Kings, with the first five chapters of the game following the player, the Destined One, as they reclaim these senses. Wukong's most crucial sense, his divine consciousness or "mind," was preserved by Erlang Shen, chosen for his unique ability to safeguard it without drawing suspicion from the Celestial Court or other Yaoguai Kings. Erlang Shen's preservation of Wukong’s mind was an open conspiracy. It reassured the Celestial Court and Buddhas while keeping the support of the Yaoguai Kings and Wukong himself. Erlang Shen intended to return this sense to the Destined One at the right moment. Maitreya, another key figure, used his power to facilitate the transfer of Wukong’s mind within a world inside a painting, hinting at the Destined One to find the entrance to this world. In the hidden true ending, the Destined One avoids putting on the golden hoop, indicating that Wukong's ultimate goal was to break free from the fate symbolized by it. Both Wukong and Erlang Shen were participants in a plan to challenge the established order. Wukong envisioned a future of equality between humans and gods, while Erlang provided divine assistance. The Celestial Court, aware of their plans, took measures to maintain control, such as collaborating with Spirit Mountain to monitor Erlang Shen and hiding the Great Sage's mortal equipment. Maitreya's involvement shows that even within the upper realm, internal struggles are intense. Despite their exploitative nature, Buddhism and Taoism have their own agendas, as evidenced by incidents like the Venerable Lord Lao secretly protecting the last bloodline of the Yaksha King against Spirit Mountain’s extermination attempts. This indicates that the power struggle between celestial beings is complex and multifaceted.
Earliest I have ever been. One of the best series you’ve put out as of late, and have been a major fan of yours since your Sekiro play through. Your channel definitely makes hard days a bit better, so much love to you and what you do
Hey Afro, just wanted to say thank you for the videos. I'm an Engineering student and it's rough (lowkey going through it right now), but thanks for the videos to keep me sane🙏🏿
I beat Erlang yesterday. What a thrilling fight it was. He wiped the ground with my face in the 1st 2 rounds, but i got him somehow in the 3rd one. Now I am at the final step, i kinda feel sad that i am here. There are a few games that i got really attached to, got kost in their world and story. Games like GOW, Ff16, Elden Ring, RDR2, etc. This is one of them now. I will be playing it a 2nd time for sure, but the surprises won't be the same. This is surely the game of the year for me
Bro, thank you for this, genuinely really enjoyed watching and playing along with you. Game is hard, and frustrating, but clocking sections was made even more fun knowing that I could come on here and see you struggle hahaha. Much love.
6:31 life flashed before his eyes for nothing 😂😂 48:49 I was really hoping you would find out about that Dang you did really good on the final boss, he only got to disrespect you once, he has 2 or 3 other ways to disrespect too. W secret boss, final boss & ending. I want it to win game of the year too
i was typing a mean message on how afro missed the great sage stance bc hes using the spear and wasnt even using the 1000 sword attack, but he just did it so im happy, W series
The minute I noticed what was happening at this point 7:20, and after knowing the fights sun wukong had in the beginning of the journey to the west, I was freaking GEEEEKED!!! THIS GAME IS FLIPPIN AMAZING!!!
Thank you afro for this journey i have going through some bad times lately and one of the things that i would look forward to was this play through since i can’t get the game.
The anime is done and it was fantastic seeing all the different Chinese mythical characters, the boss was disrespectful and it was all freaking awesome also great job Afro🔥🔥
Bro, watching you play the game alongside my own gameplay was such a gas experience for me. Seeing you react to aspects of the game the same way I was in Realtime was straight comedy. From one dyslexic to another, I had like zero idea what was going on half the time, but I was loving all of it. Easy sub. End glaze.
Ever since Afro took on the Plus Ultra XL challenge, this has been a fun ride, been watching so many videos, making the day even better, now we're I think 2 insanely good games done and gotta say, thanks for the trip Afro.
Been here since the first video of the series . It was my first time watching your videos and I don’t regret watching only you play this series. Keep up the work and thank you for the ride❤
FOMO WARNING Fathe-…. Afro, how are you? This is coming from a long time viewer. (I mean the OGGGG SWEATY Storm gang) Congratulations on completing the game! By now I bet you’ve heard our plight/cry. Would it be possible to just get a run back of the Wukong Fight? NO DISRESPECT, but I know you have a fear of missing out, and in no actual you way, you technically “cheesed” the last fight while missing out on secret cut scenes and interactions. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you think the OG Wukong is Saucy, and was hitting you with the disrespect… You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet! I would recommend a run back using Wukongs staff, the paralyze move instead of the ring of fire, as well as that dope lightning dragon strike you were using from the top rope (the heauxs will love this one). I swear you truly will witness gaming greatness, be able to flex your true gaming skill as “Mr Hashirama AfroCombo”, and put the game in your Top 3 All time for Boss fights. Sincerely, A guy who used to watch you in grade school, and is still happy to be a subscriber who watches your “reruns” with his kids.
Afro this playthrough brought out the best of your character, I've never laughed this much watching you outside every day beam struggle, which I'm still subscribed to and needs to come bacc, but when the story of him drenching the Buddhas hand happened and you said he's crazy x2 I 💀☠️💀. I will be watching this playthrough over just off GP, salute and applause brother you's a STr8 fool with all due respect💯💯💯
Afro must of gotten good rng this one because I've seen other playthroughs where wukong steals his gourd to heal himself for on here it didn't happen despite Afro healing multiple times
The last part of the game (the cutscene) was parts of the story Journey to the West, and it’s pretty cool seeing it animated, also great job beating the game Afro it was fun watching your content.
i havent seen anyone say it so i'll write it. From what i gather, it seems like the secret story of the game and the point of it all is to free wukong of the circlet that controls him. He cant be free with it on. due to his immortality, if hes brought back as himself he will always have it. So he made a big plot to remove it. but in order to do it he had to actually die die. So that his essence was split. By doing this he would no longer exist, and the circlet would go away. The real plot was then to reform himself and come back, but due to the true death, he would be free of the circlet, and no one could stop him. Thats why he repeatedly says watch me rip it off, etc. the regular endings all end with the crown being put back on him, as those "destined ones" didnt actually achieve his real goal, so they continue the process. The ultimate goal is the true destined one(secret ending) where a specific one does find all the secret pieces left by wukong. Erlong tests anyone that makes it that far, challenging them to see if they actually measure up to the real one. thats why he repeatedly compares you to wukong, and questions if you are really "him". then at the end he refers to you as wuikong, since you did all the things only wukong could do. Its a game/bet they have going on. Thats why at the end he says "he" won. if you noticed in the last video they showed wukong over and over again with the circlet one and being controlled so he couldnt rebel. but at the ending of it you see he no longer has the circlet on, and hes going to fight heaven. Now heaven cant use the circlet to stop him. Now nothing can stop him. He finally achieved his secret goal of truly freeing himself to do what he wants and defy the will of heaven.
if im not mistaken the last clip is showing backward,so the destined one have wukong memory now & i at ng+++ now, the destined one can talk saying “from this day my name shall be sun wukong” something like that
Bro can we appreciate how Afro managed to beat these bosses quick asl😂 was stuck on that erlang boss for 2 hrs, and then he beats wukong on first try?? Na he different
Thank you Afro! What an incredible playthrough and adventure. Totally game of the year in my eyes. The visual style, gameplay mechanics, absolutely beautiful cinematic scenes, and the story/character lore, blew me away 👏👏👏
What a journey man, hats off to you for pushing thru all the copyright related issues and still getting a video out before 24 hours. Cant wait to see where dragon ball sparking takes us
He miss the coolest disrespect he had if you drink multiple times without being invisible
omm dawg I swear the final boss went easy on him. He aint do half the stuff he did to me to him. Cuz wth was that
bro he missed sooo many cutscenes, the pole drop, the gourd everything
@@mdl414 lmaoooo I felt the same way but I didn’t use spells, transformations, or the tools since I use spell bind
@@mdl414 New game plus is a whole elden ring boss bro
Whaaaat man i was waiting for that you know
23:15 So basically the reason Wukong joined Tang Monk and Zhu Baije on the journey to the west was because they put an iron circlet on his head, which would shrink and crush his skull whenever he misbehaved. The idea was that if he helped Tang Monk retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West the gods would forgive him and remove the circlet, but they never did even after he earned the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha, so he had to come up with a new plan.
His rebellion and fight against Erlang Shen at the beginning of the game was a scheme to trick the Celestial Court into thinking he was dead (And also to satisfy their bloodlust so they would leave the monkeys of Mount Huaguo alone), but he knew he would be reincarnated one day into the Chosen One, who would not have the iron circlet on him and would thus be free, which is ultimately all Wukong wants, to be free.
Also, you didn't see it because you got the secret ending, but if you don't fight Erlang Shen before the final boss, the old monkey puts the circlet on your head, essentially ruining Wukong's plan and making you a slave to the Celestial Court. The old monkey is the villain, not Wukong.
Thank you for saying this🙏🏾😭
nah he became Tang monk's disciple because that was the only way out of his prison which was the mountain he was sealed under for 500 years, and this was all plotted by Buddha ahead of time since Tang monk is the reincarnation of zhenchanzi who is the first disciple under buddha(the dude chatting with the turtle monster yellow brow turned into end of chapter4). After they started on the journey wukong constantly got annoyed at Tang monk and was unwilling to obey so guanyin was the one that gave the band to Tang monk and taught him the chant to activate the band and tricked wukong into putting it on his head
@@小鸭粉丝汤this.
@yes, but I think the game tells the story slightly differently, to account for the destined one
I’m pretty certain the old monkey isn’t the villain as he is the mind of Wukong. I believe the point of the bad ending is that he just replaces the final boss we fight, as he is incomplete and as a result not the real Destined One. Therefore, he becomes the Stone Monkey and waits for the true Destined One to face him.
59:52 the fact that Afro asked whos that to ERLANG SHEN THE GUY HE SPENT HOURS TO BEAT is the most dissapointing kind of cutscene confusion. Bro is the only 3 eyed dude youve fought this whole game
Same voice too😂
Fr bruh. 💀
felt the same lol, but to be fair, his hair is white in the animation lol
Strong, Guy vs Kisame vibes
I watched this entire series of Afro and I can say that it's either Afro is intentionally doing this for clout, or Afro is the most dumbest person I've ever seen in my life.
I teared up watching the final fight. Probably sounds cringe to you, but I'm a Vietnamese boy growing up watch Journey to the west on TV each day of my summer vacation (every year during the summer they would re-air the show). The music in the last fight was from the original show, and as it played, nostalgia hit me like never before. My grandma who always watched the show with me passed away, and the music made me miss her so much. Especially now that I'm just started studying abroad in Canada, leaving alone, writing the first chapter of my own journey to the west 😢 Sorry for the long comment I just really appreciate the video, keep it up!
Where could watch jttw?
@@babyyyz7948youtube
The final animated cutscene also uses the original Journey to the West music as well. Im sure he edited that out to avoid copyright issues, but definitely worth watching the cutscene with the original audio if you want that nostalgia.
Awesome story, I hope you stay safe and goodluck studying!
dude 加油！
I can't fuckin believe he didn't get hit by the heal animation from wukong. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.
All the homies hate ring of fire, that move single handedly stole our chance to see afro get disrespected when healing.
I was looking forward to that animation too...
Facts
I was looking forward to that also.
That's what I'm saying I've been waiting for him to see those but he didn't see half of them
I'm sooo sad man......... I was waiting for that one
Afro didnt get the healing disrespect! I was so waiting for the reaction lmao
Fr
Er Lang and Wu Kong plotted his death together as Er Lang keeping Wu Kong’s memories as the final relic for the worthy one. Deep down Wu Kong knows there is no way to be free even he became god but only death.
They announced DLCs so I guess it will be the conclude story of the 4th sister that been captured and the fight with heaven (hope Nezha is properly introduce tho).
Did they really mention DLC?? Because idk bro
I'm kind of hoping the DLC does something with the other celestial monkeys
@@sesshomarutomioka9220yes their gaming site confirmed dlc and slotted for February 2025
DLC finna be crazy vs jade emperor and maybe even Buddha himself since I think Buddha is evil here
@@sesshomarutomioka9220 They confirmed an expansion and a new IP in development. Sadly they provided no more detail than that, only that BMW originally have 13 chapters but was cut. And we haven’t see some bosses and the battle with Celestial army in the trailer yet.
Some people probably mentioned it already, but that last cutscene was some of the biggest beats of Wukong's story told in reverse order:
He first becomes his namesake (Monkey King), defies the Celestial Court, including Erlang (the secret boss in this chapter and his biggest rival), pees on Buddah's middle finger, thinking it was a pillar he needed to leave a mark on, and therefore gets imprisoned inside the Five Finger Mountain
A few centuries later, he's freed by his from then on master, Tan Sanzang, and takes on the Journey to the West, granting him redemption through Buddahood
The original story ends there, but this game adds that he gets betrayed by the Celestial Court for trying to be free on his island, after he realizes that the crown he wore during the Journey never left his head. This celestial item was able to, very much like Wukong's staff, change its size; his master used to punish him by shrinking it whenever he became unruly, causing tremendous pain
The point of the game's story, it seems, is to gain the relics (his senses), alongside Wukong's memories, in order for him to reincarnate through the Chosen One, but without the symbol of his imprisonment, making him free from the gods' influence
Plot twist the old monkey works with the court and continues the cycle by giving him that gold head band which the court made to basically trap him
@@Rebel4k69Although yes this is true, through the secret ending and defeating Erlang. In the true ending you gain the memories of wukong and fully reincarnate. Stopping the cycle and once again become free of the band.
@@brodywebber7752 he puts the band on his head at the end
@@Rebel4k69 Actually in the ending we just saw ( the true ending ) the old monkey doesn’t put the band on his head. It’s also confirmed in lore that in this ending he doesn’t.
@Rebel4k69 not in the ending afro got he got the good ending
Just before the monkey puts the headband on he gained his memory that's why it didn't show him putting on the headband in the bad ending you don't get his memory you get tricked into putting it on and then get memories making monkey king trapped once more
What I love about the Erlang fight is not only the fact that he was the most satisfying boss to beat on account of being imo the hardest boss in the game, but also the clash of ideals in which Wukong vs Erlang represents.
Erlang throughout the entirety of BMW is the only character that we are repeatedly reminded of being someone that can rival Wukong in terms of power. This works in perfect juxtaposition with the narrative dynamic between the two. At the beginning of the game, Wukong is stated to be “a hero who treasures his freedom above all else”. Erlang Shen is one of heavens fiercest combatants, if not the fiercest combatant already. He is someone who represents absolute justice, and as heavens warrior, he carries out their justice without hesitation. While we see it as Wukong vs Erlang, what the writers are really trying to portray are the clash of concepts of complete freedom vs unwavering justice, control, and order.
Afro even says in the last video, “he’s talking like he misses Wukong”. I find this to be true in a lot of ways, in that, while Erlang was heaven’s tool to carry out justice, he recognized the internal struggle he shared with Wukong and is willing to accept whatever came of their duel. Now that the Destined One is taking the old Wukong’s place as the great sage, Erlang has the opportunity to find closure in this fight (think when he says,”is our fight here all apart of his plan?”). Old Wukong’s sense of idealistic freedom is then beautifully woven into the Destined One’s narrative in the cutscene upon defeating Erlang where he says “watch me rip this headband off and break free”. Upon Erlang’s defeat, the Destined One replaces the old Wukong as the new Great Sage Sun Wukong, having officially freed himself (and old Wukong) from heavens control, both figuratively and literally.
Beautiful; it reminded me of the dymanic between thor and kratos in GOW
Completely wild part here, Wukong deliberately let himself be killed because he figured out the only way to be rid of that headband was to rebuild his body and soul both from the ground up. In this ending, because you retrieved the real Mind relic from Erlang Shen, it works. You just got all of Sun Wukong's memories back and rejected the headband, The Destined One has truly become The Monkey King Returned.
Great job bro, just beat the game the other night and it was amazing 10/10 for sure 👍🏾
Bro, it's the fact that Afro went through the entire fight against Wukong without:
1.) Activating the Wukong Stance by using the spear ( as soon as you unlock Wukong's staff in the story, you get to play around in Wukong Stance )
2.) Afro didn't witness the greatest disrespect in the entire game of getting his Drink snatched away from him
Other than that, watching Afro finally play this game has been an awesome experience
Edit: MOOOOOM. MOM I MADE IT. I GOT OVER 6 LIKES IN MY COMMENT ON AN AFRO SENJU VIDEOOOOO. *MOOOOOOOM.*
Second edit: It has now come to my attention that I have received two complaints from random strangers online about the " Mom " comment right above this one. I apologize for the inconvenience, and the higher-ups have a message to share: " I do not care. Look. This comment is gonna be forgotten in most likely 1 month's time for all of Y'all. Or maybe not at all if one of Y'all decide to watch the playthrough again at a later future. But relaaaax. It's just a small comment. Cringe as Y'all may see it, it will be nothing but a forgotten memory in Y'all heads. The Momma comment won't hurt you. Promise. Go about your day. There's other things to enjoy in life don't worry. Y'all have a good one "
Yeah he really missed out with that gourd snatching sequence 😂
I love that animation. The fact they animated the destined one to move as if the gourd was snatched out of his hand before he catches is great to me. And shows the devs compassion that went into the game because that's such a small detail
The damn heal steal PISSED ME OFF cause he was at 20% percent once and snatched back to back 3 times 😭
3. Didn’t use the 6th relic in the final fight
@@SHRINKLEAN_GRINKLESyou can only start using 6th relic from new game +
Afrosenju video at 5:30 instead of 10:00 is the ultimate surprise anime episode I've seen all year
530 the car missing
East coast gang 🔥
@@kaasvreter9952😭😭😭
@@kaasvreter9952no text backs or call missings
If you used the Jingubang instead of the tri point double edged spear you would've been able to use the Wukong stance and do similar moves to what the final boss uses
Only on ng+4
@@ShhImANightmare in every game chapter 6 gives you access to the wukong stance if you have the full set on, getting 3 true endings just lets you use it outside chapter 6
@@ShhImANightmare your mom
@@ShhImANightmarewhat? you stupid or something?
@@ShhImANightmareno on chapter 6 you have it constantly
THE JOURNEY THE MEMORIES ALL OF THE PAIN WAS WORTH ITTTTTT
Fighting the Four Heavenly Kings and biggified Erlang really makes you FEEL like Wu Kong, like you're unlocking and using a comparable level of power. It's so cool
You've worked Afro. It's definitely been a journey, and the tech/copyright issues towards the end wasn't able to keep you down. You've overcome the hardest boss in the game, and I'm not talking about Erlang. Thank you for everything and looking forward to other playthroughs!
i love the small detail at 22:46 where he shifts the cloud infront of the sun so it doesn't shine in the camera anymore
Wait does he do that?
White hair guy is Erlang, but with different hair color. You can tell that it is him from his third eye and from the same voice actor, Erlang is the only character with three eyes in Journey to the West. The young black hair boy beside him is Nezha, he will be in the DLC. Erlang and Nezha are considered to be some of the strongest in the Celestial Court.
A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE STORY BELOW (including Journey to the West):
1. Wukong wreaked havoc of the Celestial Court in his younger and more rebellious years (because he felt insulted by the Celestial Court), he self proclaimed to be the Great Sage and the Wreaker of Heaven. As a result, he was sealed by a Buddha (Tathagata) under a mountain for 500 years and got a golden restriction band placed on his head at the same time (Buddha can tighten the restriction band with a spell, that's the cause of Wukong's headache in the opening cutscene). In order to atone for his sin, Wukong was tasked to escort Jinchanzi's (Buddha's second student, Yellowbrow's peer, the same monk in Yellowbrow's cutscene) reincarnation, Tang Monk (anytime the game mention the "Monk" it is usually referred to him), on a journey to the west to visit Tathagata Buddha in Mount Lingshan and bring back scripture(s) of enlightenment, which was said to be able to bring wisdom to human kind. At the end of the Journey, all members of the party were granted some level of Buddhahood. Wukong was granted the position of Victorious Fighting Buddha and the restriction band was supposed to be removed at the same time.
2. In this cutscene, Erlang told Wukong that even though you can't see it, but the restriction band was never removed, how could you rebel against the heaven with a restriction band on your head. Wukong told Erlang he is going to remove the band. The plan is very simple, Wukong will kill himself and he will be reincarnated as a different monkey without the band. (That's why Erlang told the player at the beginning of the fight, "I can't kill that Monkey, nobody can, only he can kill himself (considering that Wukong is immortal))
SPOILERS AHEAD:
3.If you go straight for the final boss, Wukong's broken remains, without visiting Erlang first, at the end of the fight with Wukong's remains, the old monkey will pick up the golden restriction band that had fallen off from Wukong's broken remains and place it on the Destined One's head, trapping the Destined One inside the stone and resulting in a bad ending. On the next playthrough, the player will find out that they did not unlock the last (6th) relic, meaning that the player failed to free Wukong in the previous playthrough and this is the next cycle with a new Destined One. If you fought Erlang and got Wukong's memories before fighting Wukong's broken remains, the Destined One will be able to wake up before the old money places the restriction band on the Destined One's head. On the next playthrough, the Player will find out that they have unlocked the last (6th) relic. This means Wukong and the Destined One are merged together, and the Destined One lives on as the new Wukong.
SPECTULATIONS:
4. Old Monkey: because only gods and buddhas wear those floating ribbons, it is implied that the old monkey works for the heaven. Recall the old monkey's words before the last battle "(Wukong is) as untamed and ungrateful as that yellow rat. Beasts are beasts, don't you think?" The old monkey also said a lot of untrue things about Wukong prior to the last fight (including that the Player only has to collect 5 relics and visit him to get the last one. This is false, it would result in the bad ending), potentially with the intention of belittling what Wukong was trying to do and swaying the Destined One to follow destiny (weaved by heaven, i.e. follow the heaven's dictated path).
5. Wukong left Celestial Court: it is sprinkled within various texts in the game, implying that in order to advance, some Yaoguais eat humans, and some gods and buddhas would turn Yaoguais into pills and eat those pills. There are certain map zones in the game where gods' henchmen could systematically turn Yaoguais into pills and offer them to the gods. Wukong found out about this secret and that's why he left the Court, and also why Celestia deemed that he has to be killed. At the end of this cutscene where Wukong turns around and walks towards the waterfall, it is speculated by the Chinese community that he wasn't heading to the beginning of the game to fight Erlang and the Celestial Court in the opening scene. This is set at the end of the game and the resurrected/merged Wukong is heading to the DLC to rebel against the Court for the third time.
6. Erlang: in the lore, Erlang actually rebelled against Celestia a few hundred years before Wukong, because he couldn't bear witness to human's suffering. He stopped midway because he realized that even if he could overturn the Celestial Court, there will be no entity to maintain order of the new world thereafter (i.e. maintain balance between human, yaoguai and gods, and maintain how the system of the world operates), it will result in a total chaos (like the wild jungle) and make the world an unsafe/worst place for everyone (basically having a bad system is still better than having no system at all). He is also the Jade Emperor's nephew so they want to go easy on him, the Court offered him a position translated to God of Justice, basically enforcer of heavenly rules, a high prosecutor. The first 2 times Wukong rebelled against the heaven, he did it for no good reason and was basically throwing a fit just because he could (brat with too much power). This time Wukong plans to rebel against the heaven, it looks like Erlang wants to join in on the cause, I wonder what changed.
7. Future DLCs: Black Myth Wukong was planned for 12-13 chapters, but because of funding and timing issues they released the first 6 chapters first. The rest are planned to be divided into 2 DLCs, one of which is set at the Celestial Court, is it speculated by the Chinese Community that this is the third rebellion against Celestial Court, and will be featuring Nezha and Erlang.
bump for update XD
nah every time bro screamed yellow loong i felt him
something ain’t right…. last vid he was getting cooked, now he just 1 life both the final bosses?! No suffering, no crash outs? where he go on that trip?! 😂
It was his journey to the west and he came back as the victorious fighting buddha.
That bubble at 48:40 was suspect as hell
@@treeefitty6468thats from a curio
@@treeefitty6468 what is that bubble?
@@jeremy5159bubble is a curio that stops lethal damage once if you've hit a boss enough in a fight
The guy in the ending cinematic that you were wondering who they were, it was literally Erlang Shen, the guy you beat before the final boss, you literally have his weapon and he was wielding it in the cinematic xD
The other person was Nezha, and yes, the game still has a bunch of potential for a DLC, including confronting Nezha and the Court, and finally break free of the Golden Fillet Headband bestowed upon him by the Overlords of the Buddha realm.
Wukong is known as "The personification of the Mind", one of the most revered Buddhist beliefs, the mind is the first to come, and the last to go, conquer the mind, you conquer all that comes after and before.
Wukong got his headband to mitigate the use of his power after he murdered a group of thieves that stole from his master Tripitaka, the Tang Monk that wrote the scriptures during the journy to the west, where he was beset upon by all manner of trials from both mortals, and gods, Wukong was also imprisoned for centuries and was subjected to horrible tortures, including staying inside a biiiig pot that burned hotter than the sun, but he had multiple layers of immortality and wouldnt die, so you can imagine the pain he endured.
You should read the books, they are great.
just did the secret boss yesterday, stone monkey part is fire!
The most disrespectful fights I’ve witnessed
u havent even watched 1% of the fuckin vid
LMFAO maybe he just means in general because he's seen it already. @@imjust_chillin1
@@imjust_chillin1I finished the game myself that’s why I know
@@imjust_chillin1he talking about other streamer that have done the fight
@@imjust_chillin1Who sh*t in your cereal this morning?
Bro you are a straight legend. Thank you for your dedication to this game. You did a really great job King!
I fought Wukong like 10 times cause I was in awe with all the 4th wall shit he was doing to me. Dude immobilized me and took my flask. Shit was crazy. 😂😂
since you fucked him up you didnt see one disrespect he got.. with the healing gurd
For me this is the game of the year
I don’t know I’m gonna have to wait till sparking zero to make my decision
@@LovelessGentleman Lmfao, an anime arena fighter has no chance.
@@LovelessGentleman sparkling zero isn't it
The only good thing about Sparkling Zero imo is that there is the nostalgia factor, overall the graphics are top notch but idk about gameplay
ME TOO SIR😢
HE CONTINUED FOR US, HE IS THE GOAT. Even after all the copyright bullshit, he still got to the end.
This was trully a journey.
To the west!
On my birthday new episode🗣️🔥
Happy birthday friend☺️🎉
Happy Birthday gang 🔥
Happy birthday
Happy bday my dude!
Happy birthday bro 🔥🔥🎉🎉🎉
IF YOU ARE CONFUSED:
In the secret ending it is revealed that Erlang (the first guy you fight at the start of the game) actually conspired with Wukong to kill him, as it's the only way to help him get rid of his enchanted headband. As long as the headband is on his head, he can never truly disobey the heavenly court. Erlang also sealed Wukong's memories in his third eye, so after the secret boss fight those memories are released and given to the protagonist.
In the bad ending, the protagonist never reclaims Wukong's memories so he ends up accepting the headband, trapping him again to the will of the court.
In the good ending, just before accepting the headbind, you get a closeup of the protagonist's eyes as he started reliving Wukong's journey, played in reverse culminating in his very first battle against the court. In this ending he possibly came to his senses and would not accept the headband.
And yeah, the old monkey may be an agent of the court, as he put the protagonist on this journey to reunite Wukong's essence, but without his memories, creating a Wukong that would bend his knees to the court.
“Whis….Afro’s done it hasn’t he.” 💯
underrated comment this needs more acknowledgement lol
Damn Afro didn’t get his gourd stolen by wukong, was really hoping he’d see that
Same bru thats sad, plus he also missed out on alot of new moves and combos becaus he didnt use the jingubang
@@Norden05 true he even said I wish I could do that. But he doesn’t know about wukong stance
@@KawfeeKun yeah kinda dissapointing
Dang, was hoping to see him freeze Afro trying to take a sip, and then snatch it out his hands. That reaction would've been great 😆
If disrespect had a form, it would be the glorious fighting Buddha
Here is a summary for what happened: In the final chapter, the Destined One returns to Mount Huaguo and encounters Celestial soldiers trying to suppress him. This situation raises questions because the Destined One is supposed to be carrying out the Celestial Court's orders. To understand this, we must delve into the underlying conflict between the Celestial Court and the Buddhist realm.
Throughout the story, conflicts between Buddhism and Taoism are evident, especially in the Yellow Wind Ridge, New West, Webbed Hollow, and Flame Mountain sections. The Celestial Court and Buddhist realm have differing political aims: the Celestial Court prioritizes order and requires beings either to join the system or face destruction. In contrast, the Buddhist realm focuses on converting beings into believers.
This tension stems from the Celestial Court feeling threatened by the Buddhist realm's growing influence, particularly after the Journey to the West, where many beings, including Sun Wukong, were converted to Buddhism. The Celestial Court saw this as the Buddhist realm gaining an unfair advantage. Therefore, the Celestial Court plotted to use the Destined One to weaken the Buddhist realm's power, leading to Sun Wukong's demise.
Erlang Shen (Yang Jian) offers crucial insight into Sun Wukong's death. Despite appearing as Wukong's killer, he suggests that Sun Wukong's death was a form of suicide, a way to free himself from the golden hoop (tight-fillet spell) representing secular control and forcing him onto the Buddhist path. Wukong wanted to break free from this control, and his death was a means to achieve that liberation.
The "Great Sage's Remnant Body" portrait offers a complex view of Sun Wukong's character. It suggests that during his time as the Monkey King, he was mischievous but not excessively cruel. His true ruthlessness emerged after becoming Sun Wukong the Pilgrim, engaging in theft, kidnapping, murder, and arson. This transformation is linked to his conversion to Buddhism, suggesting that adopting a master and gaining a direction released his inner ferocity.
The golden hoop spell, which controlled him during his journey, symbolizes this restraint and forced alignment with Buddhist teachings. Even after its apparent disappearance post-Journey to the West, Wukong needed to prove whether this control still existed, leading to his eventual plan of suicide and rebirth.
The game's depiction of celestial beings and Buddhas as outwardly pure but inwardly corrupt is reinforced by examples like the Venerable Lord Lao's exploitation of Yaoguais for pill refinement and Lingji Bodhisattva's oppression. This reflects how the pursuit of immortality and power involves consuming "Will," sourced from nature, faith, or living beings. Celestial and Buddhist entities like the Queen Mother and Spirit Mountain engage in activities like peach production, faith accumulation, and life exploitation to harvest this essence.
Wukong's distrust of celestial equipment, including his golden armor, symbolizes his awareness of the celestial manipulation and his intent to rebel. He prepared his old equipment as a sign of rejecting the control imposed by the heavens. The celestial court and Buddhist realm's monitoring of his actions indicated their awareness of his revolutionary intentions. The armor and hoop thus represent the larger theme of celestial and Buddhist control and Wukong's struggle against it.
The golden hoop and Wukong's golden armor symbolize the control of the old order over him. To lead a revolution, Wukong must reject these restraints, giving up the security they provide and severing ties with his past self. This process is part of his journey from a rogue figure to a revolutionary leader. Chapter 5 of the game illustrates Wukong’s evolution from being complicit with the old order to sacrificing himself for freedom.
Wukong's ruthless methods and transformation reflect the influence of desires, idols, and ulterior motives. His shift from the Monkey King to Sun Wukong the Pilgrim parallels the possible transformations of celestial beings and Buddhas, who also underwent changes driven by their desires.
In Chapter 4, a mural suggests that the tribulations of the original Journey to the West were preordained by higher powers, indicating the control the celestial order exerted. Yet Wukong often defied these scripts, such as seeking help from the Celestial Court against the expected intervention by a Bodhisattva. This defiance highlights his inherent rebellious nature.
Yang Jian's comment in the game emphasizes that Wukong is the one who defies destiny the most. Wukong’s rebellion aims to challenge the gods and Buddhas' exploitation of the lower realms for their immortality, as described by Zhu Bajie in a portrait. To effectively rebel, Wukong needs to remove the golden hoop's control to gain personal freedom and maintain his battle power. This is a crucial step toward his goal of achieving equality between humans and gods.
In Journey to the West, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was originally a rebellious figure, but after being subdued under the Five-Finger Mountain, he was forced to wear the golden hoop and act under Spirit Mountain's control. Throughout the journey, his actions aligned with Spirit Mountain's agenda. Upon reaching Spirit Mountain, Wukong hoped to remove the hoop, but they reneged on their promise. This disillusionment led Wukong to wish for a peaceful life, but this desire conflicted with the Celestial Court's interests, sealing his fate.
Wukong's death led to the distribution of his six senses by Erlang Shen among various Yaoguai Kings, with the first five chapters of the game following the player, the Destined One, as they reclaim these senses. Wukong's most crucial sense, his divine consciousness or "mind," was preserved by Erlang Shen, chosen for his unique ability to safeguard it without drawing suspicion from the Celestial Court or other Yaoguai Kings.
Erlang Shen's preservation of Wukong’s mind was an open conspiracy. It reassured the Celestial Court and Buddhas while keeping the support of the Yaoguai Kings and Wukong himself. Erlang Shen intended to return this sense to the Destined One at the right moment. Maitreya, another key figure, used his power to facilitate the transfer of Wukong’s mind within a world inside a painting, hinting at the Destined One to find the entrance to this world.
In the hidden true ending, the Destined One avoids putting on the golden hoop, indicating that Wukong's ultimate goal was to break free from the fate symbolized by it. Both Wukong and Erlang Shen were participants in a plan to challenge the established order. Wukong envisioned a future of equality between humans and gods, while Erlang provided divine assistance. The Celestial Court, aware of their plans, took measures to maintain control, such as collaborating with Spirit Mountain to monitor Erlang Shen and hiding the Great Sage's mortal equipment.
Maitreya's involvement shows that even within the upper realm, internal struggles are intense. Despite their exploitative nature, Buddhism and Taoism have their own agendas, as evidenced by incidents like the Venerable Lord Lao secretly protecting the last bloodline of the Yaksha King against Spirit Mountain’s extermination attempts. This indicates that the power struggle between celestial beings is complex and multifaceted.
Imma comment on this so I can read it later
Most accurate comment by fair
Fun fact the reason you didn't have a health bar at the beginning of the game is because Wokong is immortal nice touch from the devs
Anime of the year
Anime and game of the year too 💪
YESSS 2024 Anime/ART Of The YeaRRR
End of a great arc
I'm glad Afro did the 2 best endings, the disrespect in the second fight is unmatched
Wym best 2 endings? There’s literally only 2, the good one and the bad one😭
@@devin6079 i heard there was 4 unless the other 2 are when dlc drops
@@narwhalnova3369 No…there’s only 2.
@@devin6079 damn until the dlc drops
@@narwhalnova3369 yea maybe but I wouldn’t get my hopes too high for more endings to the base game
Earliest I have ever been. One of the best series you’ve put out as of late, and have been a major fan of yours since your Sekiro play through. Your channel definitely makes hard days a bit better, so much love to you and what you do
Hey Afro, just wanted to say thank you for the videos. I'm an Engineering student and it's rough (lowkey going through it right now), but thanks for the videos to keep me sane🙏🏿
Damn.. sad that he first tired and miss the stole heal part
This has been the best series so far between this elden ring ghost of tsushima and sekiro love your vids afro 😎
THIS IS AMAZING MAN. Its so dope to see your journey with this game. Literally art.
I beat Erlang yesterday. What a thrilling fight it was. He wiped the ground with my face in the 1st 2 rounds, but i got him somehow in the 3rd one. Now I am at the final step, i kinda feel sad that i am here. There are a few games that i got really attached to, got kost in their world and story. Games like GOW, Ff16, Elden Ring, RDR2, etc. This is one of them now. I will be playing it a 2nd time for sure, but the surprises won't be the same. This is surely the game of the year for me
Dang man didn't get the healing disrespect. That's my favorite by far.
Glad he made it to the end though
This series do be getting me rock solid
Had me growing like the destined one
54:45 "Pick it up."
Bro, thank you for this, genuinely really enjoyed watching and playing along with you. Game is hard, and frustrating, but clocking sections was made even more fun knowing that I could come on here and see you struggle hahaha. Much love.
6:31 life flashed before his eyes for nothing 😂😂
48:49 I was really hoping you would find out about that
Dang you did really good on the final boss, he only got to disrespect you once, he has 2 or 3 other ways to disrespect too. W secret boss, final boss & ending. I want it to win game of the year too
Thanks from the series Afro! It was amazing! 🙏🏻❤️
You do not KNOW how much i needed this, i just finished edgerunners and i am depressed as all hell
That's post-game depression, I've experienced that one too many times
I swear whenever you lock in with these bosses it's like an anime fight just smooth❤🎉
i was typing a mean message on how afro missed the great sage stance bc hes using the spear and wasnt even using the 1000 sword attack, but he just did it so im happy, W series
Greatest series no doubt . Dope boss fights , amazing commentary Elder ring 2nd now but it’s close
“The strongest monke of today vs the strongest monke in history”
The minute I noticed what was happening at this point 7:20, and after knowing the fights sun wukong had in the beginning of the journey to the west, I was freaking GEEEEKED!!! THIS GAME IS FLIPPIN AMAZING!!!
Imagine just being a random joe, then you luck up in the sky and see kaijus doing double backflips and duo combos in the air
🤡
Thank you afro for this journey i have going through some bad times lately and one of the things that i would look forward to was this play through since i can’t get the game.
1 hour FINALE LET"S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The anime is done and it was fantastic seeing all the different Chinese mythical characters, the boss was disrespectful and it was all freaking awesome also great job Afro🔥🔥
consume focus as in you gotta do a heavy attack with focus points to do the ability, it's like ice bat, but with extra steps
Thank you for this series bro, really helped me not get stressed out with life. Keep doing you goat 🙏🙏🔥
A great ending to an even greater story
EVERYTHING WAS BUILT UP TO THIS POINT, I REALLY DONT WANT THIS TO END!!
What a series, bro. Thank you so much for uploading this. It's been amazing. Enjoyed every second of it.
Shame Afro didnt get to see some of the secret stuff during the Broken Shell fight.
The ending cinematic is Wukong's life played in reverse.
Bro, watching you play the game alongside my own gameplay was such a gas experience for me. Seeing you react to aspects of the game the same way I was in Realtime was straight comedy. From one dyslexic to another, I had like zero idea what was going on half the time, but I was loving all of it. Easy sub. End glaze.
Actually kinda disappointed we didn't get to see Afro's reaction to wuking stealing his heal lol
Ever since Afro took on the Plus Ultra XL challenge, this has been a fun ride, been watching so many videos, making the day even better, now we're I think 2 insanely good games done and gotta say, thanks for the trip Afro.
Naaaah man I wanted to see Afro's reaction to Wukong stealing the heal bottle and he never did it lmao
This is the best game i have ever seen in my life bro this story is so good its unbelievable and because of it im going to read journey to the west
I can't believe Afro never realized till the very end that he is Erlang Shen. There are so many clues like the spear, dog, voice, and the third eye.
Been here since the first video of the series .
It was my first time watching your videos and I don’t regret watching only you play this series.
Keep up the work and thank you for the ride❤
FOMO WARNING
Fathe-….
Afro, how are you? This is coming from a long time viewer. (I mean the OGGGG SWEATY Storm gang) Congratulations on completing the game! By now I bet you’ve heard our plight/cry. Would it be possible to just get a run back of the Wukong Fight? NO DISRESPECT, but I know you have a fear of missing out, and in no actual you way, you technically “cheesed” the last fight while missing out on secret cut scenes and interactions. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you think the OG Wukong is Saucy, and was hitting you with the disrespect…
You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet!
I would recommend a run back using Wukongs staff, the paralyze move instead of the ring of fire, as well as that dope lightning dragon strike you were using from the top rope (the heauxs will love this one). I swear you truly will witness gaming greatness, be able to flex your true gaming skill as “Mr Hashirama AfroCombo”, and put the game in your Top 3 All time for Boss fights.
Sincerely,
A guy who used to watch you in grade school, and is still happy to be a subscriber who watches your “reruns” with his kids.
GAHHHH so many counters and animations missed! I was waiting for those reactions!
Watching Afro not use that spears special ability was getting on my nerves.😂😂
Afro this playthrough brought out the best of your character, I've never laughed this much watching you outside every day beam struggle, which I'm still subscribed to and needs to come bacc, but when the story of him drenching the Buddhas hand happened and you said he's crazy x2 I 💀☠️💀. I will be watching this playthrough over just off GP, salute and applause brother you's a STr8 fool with all due respect💯💯💯
Never been so ready
"Look at the music", afro senju, 2024
Afro must of gotten good rng this one because I've seen other playthroughs where wukong steals his gourd to heal himself for on here it didn't happen despite Afro healing multiple times
I think him using ring of fire to heal disrupted it cause he wasn’t using gourd back to back
That disrespect happens when he freezes you when you take a sip, Afro healed mostly with the ring of fire.
@@Kratos510e yelp
The last part of the game (the cutscene) was parts of the story Journey to the West, and it’s pretty cool seeing it animated, also great job beating the game Afro it was fun watching your content.
15:48
Villain gets crazy badass weapon.
Wukong: 🗿
I work the night shift so Afro posting this earlier is making my day Rn🤝🏿
Afro doing too much ring of fire and transform so he didnt get the best sequence prepared by the devs in the last fight 😂
I've been waiting for this! I'm glad you got this uploaded finally and congrats on beating the game
i havent seen anyone say it so i'll write it. From what i gather, it seems like the secret story of the game and the point of it all is to free wukong of the circlet that controls him. He cant be free with it on. due to his immortality, if hes brought back as himself he will always have it. So he made a big plot to remove it. but in order to do it he had to actually die die. So that his essence was split. By doing this he would no longer exist, and the circlet would go away. The real plot was then to reform himself and come back, but due to the true death, he would be free of the circlet, and no one could stop him. Thats why he repeatedly says watch me rip it off, etc. the regular endings all end with the crown being put back on him, as those "destined ones" didnt actually achieve his real goal, so they continue the process. The ultimate goal is the true destined one(secret ending) where a specific one does find all the secret pieces left by wukong. Erlong tests anyone that makes it that far, challenging them to see if they actually measure up to the real one. thats why he repeatedly compares you to wukong, and questions if you are really "him". then at the end he refers to you as wuikong, since you did all the things only wukong could do. Its a game/bet they have going on. Thats why at the end he says "he" won. if you noticed in the last video they showed wukong over and over again with the circlet one and being controlled so he couldnt rebel. but at the ending of it you see he no longer has the circlet on, and hes going to fight heaven. Now heaven cant use the circlet to stop him. Now nothing can stop him. He finally achieved his secret goal of truly freeing himself to do what he wants and defy the will of heaven.
if im not mistaken the last clip is showing backward,so the destined one have wukong memory now & i at ng+++ now, the destined one can talk saying “from this day my name shall be sun wukong” something like that
This series was so fun to watch. Thank you for the daily uploads. 👍
Bro can we appreciate how Afro managed to beat these bosses quick asl😂 was stuck on that erlang boss for 2 hrs, and then he beats wukong on first try?? Na he different
Ring of fire helped alot lol
Thank you Afro!
What an incredible playthrough and adventure.
Totally game of the year in my eyes. The visual style, gameplay mechanics, absolutely beautiful cinematic scenes, and the story/character lore, blew me away 👏👏👏
damn he didnt get any of the wukong animations
Oh man what a journey was it, i loved all the episodes definitely GOTY for me! ❤
Thanks Afro 😊
how did sun wukong not steal afros flask in the fight, thats just lucky asf lmao, nah but fr well done idk how you didnt get that instance tho.
Because he too good. The final boss only steal when you constantly use healing.
Best series i’ve watched in a while.
its kinda sad you didnt use the wukong stance once :D you have it only in chapter 6 on the first playthrough
What a journey man, hats off to you for pushing thru all the copyright related issues and still getting a video out before 24 hours. Cant wait to see where dragon ball sparking takes us
I refuse to believe he beat this guy as soon as he gets back on first try. He has to have cut a bunch of attempts out.
He was going on about how much he's done so he's probably a little over leveled
Nah last boss is easy as fuck after beating erlang
@@jereroivanen7263 erlang is who I'm talking about.
@imawsome58 Erlang's not that hard lol. I found the last boss more difficult.
@@drasilisk2895 Maybe it was the build. Erlang whooped my ass. I one tapped the final boss
preciate the consistency afro
Yesssssss 0:24